Dear Friends,
Dear Fans,
Welcome back to our December SITREP! New stuff spotted ahead, fasten your seat belts and let's dive into this serious business.
Hope you’re having a great holiday season right now. We are taking a short break for a few days to spend some time with our loved ones too, which gives me the opportunity to provide you with some news.
First, the important stuff: the Demo is about to return!
THE DEMO
We will re-release the Demo next week. It will contain the original content, along with an extra scenario (a variant of the base scenario "Of Cranes & Patriots"). New objects featured in said scenario will be available in the mission generator too.
The real added value isn't really found in the scenario itself—it is more a matter of providing you with the latest gameplay options and GUI improvements made over the last six months. The most obvious change is the ability to jump into the cockpit of one of your F4F fighters at any time, whether it is involved in a Combat Air Patrol or on escort duty for a strike. Those who were disappointed they couldn't influence the outcome of a tactical battle will now be able to get directly involved, and try to prevent your carrier from taking that extra bomb or torpedo in the face. Obviously, it’s all optional, so it will not change your core game experience. Access this feature at your own discretion.
Apart from that, improvements also include Tacview support. We will introduce a full library of 3D models over time so that you can survey the battle properly without having to come across the odd jet fighter placeholder. It's not a huge priority right now, but it’s good enough to allow you to dissect the events and understand where things went right—and when they went wrong. The free version is enough, of course.
THE PROGRESS
Most of our time over the last few weeks has been dedicated to the construction of Midway Island, AI routines for bombardment, the corresponding special effects, etc. Basically, we want to release the game with Midway fully operational. Once that is the case, we’ll have honed our skills and will be able to build the other bases with a little less friction overall—but until then, it’s a demanding job at the center of our immediate priorities.
As you can guess, fleshing out the Kido Butai is also part of this deal. We went the extra mile with the Kongo sisters, who are getting special treatment to reflect their diversity—which is not only about aesthetics, but also implies changes to their light armament, among other things. New other smaller combatants have joined the roster too, and will ensure that Task Force Admiral will provide the Combined Fleet with an array of assets that has rarely been seen in 3D until today.
WHAT’S NEXT
And, yes of course, the release proper—well, we’ll make no mystery of it. It is set for the end of January, possibly early February if things don’t go 100% according to plan (but we hope to meet the deadline in good order). It will be a bit bare-bones perhaps for those who have played the demo extensively, but Midway should be absolutely playable, possibly with half a dozen or so scenarios and variants making the best use of available objects and settings. We aren't promising something revolutionary immediately, but the goal is to provide our Kickstarter backers with access to the game within a reasonable timeframe, and we’ll keep building from then on. Obviously, early access means that there’s still much work to be done, but we’re getting to the point where it’s more generic work than fundamental work, considering the game mechanics and stability seem strong enough to us.
At any rate, those who might harbor any doubt are welcome to try the demo before buying, or keep the demo as long as needed even after deactivation, until they consider our pricing fair.
Said pricing is not going to be "hardcore wargame" premium. Something closer to what you had with Sea Power. The final call will be made at the time of release, based on immediate business considerations. We do hope, though, that the presence of a demo will help ensure that everybody knows well in advance what they’re getting, so that no misunderstanding sours our relationship with future newcomers to our fanbase.
At any rate, we wish a Merry Christmas—and Happy New Year—to you all, our dearest friends. Stay around, it’s getting closer, and we mean it! If you want to be kept 100% updated, don’t forget to follow us on Discord, or on one of our multiple platforms (X, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube Community - links are available below at the bottom of this page or on the Store Page) where all important news is also forwarded—or drop us a message in the Steam general discussions section!
See you in the skies above the South Pacific sometime next week,
Best, & Cheers!
